WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans’ ideological identification was steady in 2024, with an average of 37% describing their political views as “very conservative” or “conservative,” 34% as “moderate,” and 25% as “very liberal” or “liberal.” However, this stability masks new highs in the percentages of Republicans identifying as conservative and Democrats as liberal.

Americans’ Ideological Identification Was Steady in 2024

None of the three main ideological groupings of Americans — conservatives, moderates and liberals — has had majority-level status since Gallup began tracking ideology with this measure in 1992. Rather, conservatives and moderates have been closely matched as the two leading groups, while liberals have consistently accounted for a smaller share.

Still, the trend documents changes in the relative strength of each group.

  • Most notably, the percentage of Americans identifying as moderate has declined from an average of 43% in 1992 to 34% in 2024, while conservatism has been fairly steady, fluctuating around the three-decade mean of 38%.
  • As a result, moderates fell from being the largest ideological group in the 1990s to tying with conservatives in the early 2000s and lagging conservatives slightly during […]
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